Desiccating plug for barrel muzzle



May 9, 1961 c. J. DOUVILLE ETAL 2,983,063

DESICCATING PLUG FOR BARREL MUZZLE Filed Feb. 26. 1959 INVENTORS CLAYTON J. DOUVILLE GENE w. OSWALD AGENT United States Patent ice Patented May 9, 196,1

.. I IDEsrCcAmo-rweron 'BA'RRELMUZZLE.

Claytonzl. =-Douville, 6121 Zimmerman NE., and Gene 'WQOSWaId, 1 128 McKee :Drive ;NE., both of Albuquerque, N. Mex.

Filed'Fb.'26, 1959, Ser. No. 795,847

'3 Claims. 1(Gl.=42'1) This. inuentionrelates to desiccating devices, .in particular-to such. devices designed to prevent rust and corrosion withinthe barreland magazineof a firearm.

The present .invention vis an improvement over prior devices inrseveral ways, as will become apparent on read- .ing .the description to follow. ,Briefiy, the invention in- Zcludes a bodyof desiccant isolated from ambient air by a suitable container which has an air passage communicating with .the interior .of a firearm barrel when the conltainer :is in place at the firearm muzzle. An indicator within the vcontainer is, visible through a transparent portion thereof, so that .-.the presence of moisture therein may be ascertained. A magnet integral with the container holdsthe device-"in airtight relationship to the muzzle. As ra-psafety precaution, a 'flag extends to block the lineof sight of a firearm user, to remind him to remove the device beforefir'ing. -A .better understanding of theinvention and of its advantages .may be had by reading the more .detailed description below, with reference to the attached drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention in place at the muzzle of a firearm;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment of Fig. 1, showing its various parts;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an end view of another embodiment having a different type of safety flag.

Referring now to the figures, a body of desiccant is seen to be contained within a coarse fabric 11 which allows circulation of air within the body. The desiccant is seen to be further contained by cylindrical shell 13 which has a transparent end 14, its other end being open. Indicator disc 15 contacts the fabric 11 and is visible through the transparent end 14. The disc may be impregnated with any of a number of moisture-indicating compounds such as cobalt chloride, which is deep blue in color when dry, turning to pink as its moisture content increases.

Cylindrical shell 13 slips inside cylindrical container 16 to form an airtight closure. Hollow extension 17 of the container has an end closure 18 which seals the contents from the atmosphere during storage before use, and vwhich is scored for easy removal. The outer diameter of the free end of closure 18 is near enough to the internal diameter of extension 17 so that the closure, once removed, may be reversed and used as an airtight plug for the extension during periods of nonuse.

Magnet 19 is inset in the end of the container, held in place by a layer 20 of nonabrasive material, to prevent the magnet from scratching the gun muzzle. Safety flag 21 is an extension of the container, of sufficient length to block the line of sight of a user of the firearm, warning him that the muzzle is plugged. Hole 22 in the flag is provided for storage of closure 18 while the device is in use.

The flag '21 shown in Figs. 1-3 extends in only one direction from the container, so that the user must be careful to, align the :flag mm the firearm sights when Jhe installs the invention in a firearm .muzzle. 'bodiment of Fig. 4, the safety flag 21' is in the form of a disc, so that the invention may be installed in any position and it will always block the line oi -sight. Hole 22' provides a storage space for closure 18, as before.

When the purchaser receives the device from the vendor, it is in the condition shown in Fig. 3'. The desiccant .10, which may besilica gel, is dry and sealed olf from the atmosphere by closure 18. The degree of dryness is indicated by the color of indicator disc "15. To use the device, the purchaser snaps .Oif' closure 18 and places it in hole .22, opening an air passage through extension 17 into the desiccant. Then. he places the device on the muzzle of a firearm barrel, as shown in Fig. 1. free circulation of .air between the interior of the barrel and the desiccant, with the result that the desiccant adsorbs the moisture from the air and thereby prevents rust and corrosion which would otherwise occur. Magnet 19 holds the invention firmly against the muzzle, preventing contamination of the dry interior from external moisture or moist air.

Occasional inspection of the indicator disc through transparent .end '14 .tells. whether the desiccant has .been saturated with moisture. If it has, shell 13 maybe .re-

moved along with the body of desiccant, and the shell replaced to prevent more, moisture from entering the barrel while .the desiccant is dried vout by .heating. Alternatively, another body of dry desiccant may .be .inserted in place of the used one. When the user desires to fire the firearm, the device is easily removed, from the muzzle and the closure 18'is removed from hole 22 and inserted in extension 17 in a reversed position. 'Thus, atmospheric moisture is prevented from entering the device while it is not in use.

Although the invention may be made from any of a large number of materials, the wide variety of plastics now available makes them particularly suitable. The two main parts of the device can be molded separately in one operation, and the magnet may be molded into the container in that operation, if desired. Safety flag 21 may be brilliantly colored to insure that it is seen by the user before he fires the gun.

From the foregoing description it is seen that the present invention has a number of features heretofore not found in similar devices. Through the use of the magnet, a perfect airtight seal is secured at the firearm muzzle. The desiccant is removable for drying. The

design of the device makes it usable with any size firearm, from the smallest rifle to the largest shotgun. All that is required is that the external diameter of extension 17 be smaller than the bore of the smallest firearm and that the diameter of container 16 be as great as the barrel diameter of the largest.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is for the purpose of illustration only. Variations from the embodiment shown are within the skill of the art and may be made without departing from the sphere and scope of-the invention defined by the claims below. For instance, fabric 11 may be replaced by a perforated disc at the end of extension 17 which will prevent escape of the desiccant while still allowing air circulation.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for desiccating theinterior of a firearm barrel, comprising: a cylindrical container for desiccant, open at one end and having a diameter greater than the inside diameter of the firearm barrel on which it is to be used and having a hollow extension projecting from the other end, the outside diameter of said extension In the 'em- Extension 17 extends into the barrel, allowingbeing less than the inside diameter of said firearm barrel; a cylindrical shell open at one end and transparent at the other end, cooperatively forming a peripheral airtight closure with the desiccant container; a moisture indicator located within the volume enclosed by the muzzle of a firearm with the container extension extending into the firearm barrel; a layer of non-abrasive material fastenedto the outer surface of the magnet for preventing direct contact between the magnet and the muzzle; and a safety flag extending from the other end of the container so as to be visible to a user of the firearm when holding the firearm in a firing position thereby Warning said user not to fire the firearm until the device is removed.

2. A device for desiccating the interior of afirearm barrel, comprising: a cylindrical container for desiccant,

open at one end and having a diameter greater than the inside diameter of the firearm barrel and having a hollow extension projecting from the center of the other end,

i the outside diameter of said extension being less than the inside diameter of said barrel, said extension having a removable closure at its extremity, the diameter of an the container to be visible through the other end of the shell; a body of desiccant located within the volume; air-passing means between the desiccant and the hollow extension for'pre'ventingthe passage of desiccant into the extension of said container; a magnet located at the other end of the cylindrical container for retaining the device against the muzzle of a firearm with the container extension extending into the firearm barrel; a layer of non-abrasive material fastened to the outer surface of the magnet for preventing direct contact between the magnet and the muzzle; and a safety disc centered on the other end of the container and extending atright angles thereto so as to obstruct the line of sight of a user of the firearm when the device is in place in the muzzle, thereby warning said user not to fire the firearm until the device is removed.

3. In combination with a firearm having a barrel with a muzzle capable of being magnetized, a device for desiccating the interior of the barrel, comprising: a desiccant container having a removable shell at one end to facilitate the ingress and egress of desiccant and having a hollow extension at the other end whose outside diameter is less than the inside diameter of the firearm barrel and which includes means for indicating the presence of moisture within the container; a body of desiccant lo- I the inside of the desiccant container; a moisture indica- 35 tor located within the volume enclosed by the shell and References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 540,748 Layton June 11, 1895 2,465,163 Lockwood Mar. 22, 1949 2,557,277 Gibson June 19, 1951 2,817,172 Lehman Dec. 24, 1957 2,874,503 Niesp Feb. 24, 1959 

